Electrode holder with power disconnect

ABSTRACT

An electrode holder has a plug and socket type of electrical connection mounted inside the insulated handle portion of the electrode. The plug and socket are mounted for relative sliding movement inside the handle.

United States Patent 1191 reer u G 5] A 6 1974 [5 ELECTRODE HOLDER WITH POWER l,865,003 6/1932 Hall 219/138 DISCONNECT 13223 11/1312 9712;; 513/133 [7 Inventor: William r San n n 2:889:447 6/1959 11111118111111 III/219mm x 2,976,396 3/1961 Booher 219/138 [73] Asslgnee' gg 'gf g l g' 9:32 :21; 21 3,596,052 7/1971 Smith 219/138 [22] Filed: Mar. 22, 1973 Primary Examiner-J. V. Truhe Assistant Examiner-G. R. Peterson [21] Appl' 343700 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Donald R. Comuzzi; Ted D.

Lee [52] US. Cl. 219/141, 219/138 [51] Int. Cl. B23k 9/28 [57 ABSTRACT [58] Field of Search 219/138, 139, 140, 141,

219/142 143 144 An electrode holder has a plug and socket type of electrical connection mounted inside the insulated [56] References Cited handle portion of the electrode. The plug and socket are mounted for relative sliding movement inside the UNITED STATES PATENTS handle 1,462,620 7/1923 Peeler 219/138 X 1,677,306 7/1928 Stancliff 219/138 1 Chum, 2 Drawmg Figures ELECTRODE HOLDER WITH POWER DISCONNECT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION the typical and more common type of handle construction which has no provision for disconnecting the power.

In the construction disclosed in each of these patents, the power disconnect switch requires intricate switch design with a plurality of moving parts, all requiring the operator to manipulate the switch by hand. Due to the design of the switch throw,.the welder must remove his heavy working gloves and operate a switch button or manipulate a plurality of switch buttons. Likewise, when the power button is to be energized, the reverse procedure is necessary. Furthermore, the maintenance of the intricate designs disclosed in the prior art is difficult.

Welding machines, by their nature, are employed in very hostile environments and receive very rough use. They are subjected to dirt and dust as well as temperature extremes and abuse by the operators. Moving parts are oftentimes rendered inoperative due to dirt and dust and delicate mechanisms are oftentimes damaged due to the rough treatment which this type of equipment is subjected to. Furthermore, the environment in which this equipment is used requires the operator to wear heavy, long-cuffed gloves which substantially interfere with finger and hand dexterity.

SUMMARY It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrode holder having a power disconnect assembly incorporated in the handle of the electrode holder which is easily operated by the welder without the necessity for delicate manipulation of switches and other controls, but which can be operated by a welder even while still wearing the bulky gloves of the trade.

The power disconnect assembly is of simple construction yet it is dependable and not susceptible to malfunction due to the dirty and hostile environment in which it is intended to be used.

It is another object of this invention to provide an assembly which is simple and economical to construct and in which maintenance is reduced to a minimum.

Still other and further advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view of an electrode holder incorporating the power disconnect assembly of DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The electrode holder of this invention, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, includes a welding rod holder portion 2 and a handle 10.

The welding rod holder portion 2 consists of pivotally connected first jaw member 5 and second jaw member 4 spring biased to frictionally engage a welding electrode in a gripping portion 3.

The handle 10 consists of aninsulated tubular first handle portion 6 receiving one end of the first jaw member 5 and connected thereto by suitable connecting means such as screw 7. The handle 6 is made of a suitable insulating material such as a rigid plastic. The first jaw member 5 is constructed of suitable electrical conductive material and is provided at its end opposite the gripping portion 3 with an internal socket 8. Surrounding the socket end of the member 5 is an insulating spacing collar 11. The collar 11 frictionally engages the outside periphery of the member 5 and the inside surface of the tubular handle 6 to hold the member 5 in spaced relationship to the handle 6.

Positioned inside the handle portion 6 at the end opposite the socket 8 is a reciprocating plunger 12 constructed of a suitable electrically conductive material. The plunger 12 is provided at its one end with a plug portion 13 designed to be frictionally engaged inside of the socket 8. On the end of the plunger 12 opposite the plug 13 is a bore 15 which receives the bared end 17 of a conducting cable 18 which supplies the welding current. The cable 18 is retained inside the bore 15 by means of screws 21 and 22 which frictionally engage the bared end 17 of the cable 18.While the preferred form of the invention has been illustrated with a socket and plug assembly, it will be understood that other types of mating electrical contact points may be employed, the essence of the invention residing in'the sliding or reciprocating relationship of the contact points to each other.

A second rigid tubular handle portion 23 is telescopically engaged inside the first handle portion 6. The plunger 12 is inserted into one end of the second handle portion 23 and is connected to the handle portion 23 by means of a suitable fastener such as the bolt 24.

A spring collar 26 surrounds the outside periphery of handle portion 23 and is fastened to the handle portion 23 by suitable fastening means. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the fastening means may consist of a bolt 24 which is also used to secure the handle portion 23 to the plunger 12. The collar 26 slidably engages the inside surface of the handle portion 6 and serves the twofold purpose of spacing the handle portion 23 from the interior of the tubular handle portion 6 and to prevent the handle portion 23 from being pulled completely out of the handle portion 6. To achieve this, a snap ring 30 is secured in a groove 31 on the inside of the handle portion 6. When the handle portion 23 is pulled away from the handle portion 6 the sleeve 26 will engage the snap ring 30 to prevent further outward movement of the handle portion 23.

As can be seen from the foregoing description, the handle portion 23 is telescopically engaged inside of the handle portion 6 and can be moved between engagement with the snap ring 30 with the plug 13 disengaged from the socket 8 to a completely closed position in which the plug 13 is frictionally engaged in the socket 8. When the plug 13 is engaged in the socket 8, the electrical energy is supplied from a suitable supply source via the cable 18 to the jaws l3 and to break the circuitit is only necessary to grasp the handle portion 6 in one hand and the handle portion 23 in the other hand and pull the two components apart thereby removing the plug 13 from the socket 8. It will be noted that the collars 11 and 26 effectively seal the interior of the tubular handle portion 6 against the intrusion of dust and dirt to the socket 8. Thus with the structural relationship of the present invention there always results a clean electrical contact.

Having now described a preferred embodiment of my invention, what I claim is:

1. An electrode holder for an arc welding apparatus that is used in very dusty environments, said electrode holder comprises:

a handle portion having a first insulated cylindrical cover with one end receiving a power connection to said handle portion and being slideably retained therein by a clip ring, said power connection insulated and spaced away from said first cylindrical cover by a first insulating washer, said power connection terminating into a generally convex conical section that is slideable with respect to said first insulated cylindrical cover;

a holder portion having a pair of electrode holder jaws with one of said jaws being pivotally movable by a lever, said jaws and lever having a protective covering to protect against accidental bumping that may short said electrode holder with the teeth of said jaws being exposed enough to insert an electrode, said holder portion being attached to said first insulated cylindrical cover in a spaced relationship by a second insulating washer with a concave conical section therein to receive said convex conical section and electrically connect said jaws to said power connection;

said handle portion and said holder portion being so constructed that the mating conical sections are protected from the dusty environment;

said convex conical section is attached to said powe first insulating washer. 

1. An electrOde holder for an arc welding apparatus that is used in very dusty environments, said electrode holder comprises: a handle portion having a first insulated cylindrical cover with one end receiving a power connection to said handle portion and being slideably retained therein by a clip ring, said power connection insulated and spaced away from said first cylindrical cover by a first insulating washer, said power connection terminating into a generally convex conical section that is slideable with respect to said first insulated cylindrical cover; a holder portion having a pair of electrode holder jaws with one of said jaws being pivotally movable by a lever, said jaws and lever having a protective covering to protect against accidental bumping that may short said electrode holder with the teeth of said jaws being exposed enough to insert an electrode, said holder portion being attached to said first insulated cylindrical cover in a spaced relationship by a second insulating washer with a concave conical section therein to receive said convex conical section and electrically connect said jaws to said power connection; said handle portion and said holder portion being so constructed that the mating conical sections are protected from the dusty environment; said convex conical section is attached to said power connection by set screws through a cylindrical body having a recess for receiving the power connection; said set screws and cylindrical body being contained in a second insulated cylindrical cover slideable inside the first insulated cylindrical cover; and said second insulated cylindrical cover, first insulating washer, and cylindrical body being attached into one element by holding screws through said first insulating washer. 